Influence of home-based care on the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS in Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

HIV/AIDS is a chronic progressive disease which threatens the quality of life of the infected and affected. Home based care is seen as one of the strategies to enhance the quality of life of PLWHA. Therefore, the main purpose of the study was to ascertain the relationship between home-based care and quality of life of PLWHA in support groups in
Calabar South Local Government Area. A correlational design was utilized and a purposive sample of 74 PLWHA participated in the study. A self developed and well validated questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze socio-demographic characteristics and Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test hypotheses. The result obtained showed that most of the respondents 31 (41.89%) were between the ages of 20-30, followed by those below the age of 20 which had 22 (29.73%) respondents. Majority of the participants were
females 50(67.57%). Regarding education, majority of the respondents 31(41.89%) had attended secondary school while 20 (27.03%) had no formal education. Furthermore, the results showed a significant positive relationship between home-based psychosocial care and psychosocial quality of life of PLWHA (r cal =.40; r crit =.302; df =72; p<0.01) and home-based nursing care and physical quality of life of PLWHA (r cal =.47; r crit =.302; df 72; p<0.01). It was therefore concluded that home- based care could promote the psychosocial and physical quality of life of
PLWHA. The recommendation was that home based care should be encouraged and given priority by stake holders in the management of PLWHA.